We are ALL Special!

I teach emotional behavioral disorders special education, and I believe we are all special, even us teachers:)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog:) Since I am so far away from my friends and family, I want to keep you updated on the fun and trials of my new job. Thank you to everyone for your support, encouragement, and the tips/ideas you may offer!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Join The 3AM Teacher, the Reading Olympians, and over 80 SUPREME education bloggers as we take you through a tour of the Reading Olympians Root Study Program!!

I am so honored to participate in this blog hop! This is my first time blogging about a product I've used in the classroom, so I'm super excited:)

I used the First Grade Roots packet in my classroom, with a small intervention group.

First, we read the story about different prefixes and suffixes. In the story we read about the following prefixes and suffixes: re-, -ed, -less, -pre, -s, -ful, un-, -er, dis-, -est, and pre-. The kids had a great time helping me read the words with prefixes and suffixes. Since I don't have an interactive white board in my classroom, I really wanted to be able to share the book as an electronic version on my iPad, but I couldn't figure out how to open it on my iPad. Either of those options would be a great way to share the story though:)

Then the students matched word cards (with prefixes and suffixes) to their meaning.

Beforehand, I laminated the cards and attached velcro, so students could match the words (with prefixes and suffixes) to their meaning. This was instead of having students cut and glue their own copies. As this was an intervention sessions, we were limited on time.

Here is an up close version.

Finally, students worked independently on their own packets to create words using the prefixes and suffixes we talked about.

Discover the program IN ACTION in more K-6th grade classrooms as you Pass the Torch!! Get ideas, discover the progression of the program, and enter the Raffle for a chance to win ONE of the three prizes listed below!!First Place Winner : Gold Medal Prizes: Complete Reading Olympians Program $50.00 Amazon Gift Card 50% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!Second Place Winner: Silver Medal Prizes: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card 40% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!Third Place Winner: Bronze Medal Prizes: 30% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I was super excited to do the 5k virtual race today, as it was 57 degrees in Wisconsin today!!! However, I woke up and it was pouring buckets!! It was sooo yucky outside today. Well, by the end of the school day my mood had gone down hill.

Lucky me I have a running partner at school who kept me on track. Also, lucky me, I work at a one story school, with a court yard in the middle, and the hallways go in a rectangle, kinda like a race track. So we ran inside.

Not the most ideal circumstances, but it worked.

I'm a little unsatisfied with the time, but since I'm training for a half marathon, my strength is not a fast pace.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Hi all! This is Jessica from Covered in Glitter and Glue! I am extremely honored to be participating in Primary Possibilities' New Year, New Ideas, New Possibilities linky where bloggers have the opportunity to guest post on someone else's fabulous blog.

A little about me before we begin...I am a 2nd grade teacher and a lover of all things polka-dotty, pink, glittery, or tied with a bow. I love to do art projects at home and at school (especially ones with glitter!) and am constantly finding new projects to drool over do on Pinterest.

Thank you to We are All Special for letting me guest post, her blog is extremely heart warming!

I don't know about you, but when the new year hits I go into organization mode. My closets and dresser drawers get a makeover and my mind starts buzzing about other ways to make my classroom and home more organizationally friendly. I thought I'd take some time today to share a couple of organization ideas for the home and school that are tickling my fancy lately.

First up let's talk about an organization idea for your closets at home. Earlier this week I saw this pin on Pinterest where you use plastic shower curtain rings on a hanger to hang your scarves.

Brilliant! My scarves were a hot mess in my entryway closet and are now hanging perfectly in a row for me to choose from each morning.

As far as my classroom goes, one of my favorite organizational ideas involves my students' book boxes. A couple years ago I bought ice cube bins from Walmart to use as my student book boxes, as the kiddos just couldn't seem to take good care of the cardboard magazine boxes. The containers were a little over a dollar each. These plastic containers fit perfectly on my shelves, have been put through some major use the last two years, and are still holding up well!

The students "go shopping" for books from our class library during their morning jobs, selecting three books they are interested in reading. During Reading Workshop, or if a student finishes an assignment early, they are welcome to get their book box and spread out around the room to read. Functional and looks tidy!

My next organizational goal in my classroom is attempting this desk organization for the little ones:

I love that the containers are bigger than a pencil box and just the right size for marker boxes, bookmarks, pencils, and all of the other stuff that clogs up the desks. Now I just need to find the containers and see if they fit in the desks in my classroom!

Organization here we come!

Don't forget to stop by my blog and the New Year, New Ideas, New Possibilities linky!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

WOW! I can't believe first quarter is already over! That means there is soooo much to do! I need to get my quarterly IEP goal reports sent home, parent teacher conferences are coming up in about 2 weeks, AND IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE! (In a good way.)

Since my room serves more as a resource style setting, I don't play a lot of music because we usually need to get right down to business. If I do play music, it's usually quiet piano music on Pandora.

Like I said, I can't believe it's November already. This is going to be a super busy month for me. On top of school stuff, my boyfriend and I have two trips to Minnesota planned. One for his cousins is getting married the weekend before Thanksgiving, and he is the usher for the wedding. Then I have to go back to school Monday and Tuesday. Then I'll be headed back to MN for Thanksgiving. THEN!!! It's time to start getting ready for Christmas. Oh me or my!!!